[Live Review + Photography] Nightwish – Live in Hong Kong

As one of the leading force in symphonic metal, Nightwish never fails to produce powerful yet elegant music throughout their 20-year career. This month, the Finnish metallers are back to Hong Kong with their new vocalist Floor Jansen for a sensational performance at KITEC.

This is one of the few sold-out metal show in Hong Kong, in other words, this is seen as a big night to the metal community in town. Despite Nightwish is full of talented musicians, the band’s female classical vocal has been a highlight of their music. However, the change of vocal position does not seem to slow them down, on the contrary, that has pushed them to another peak in their musical journey. Having the chance to see all three eras leaded by three vocalist in the last 10 year, we can say the band’s new vocalist, Floor Jansen, is the missing golden piece of the puzzle.

Opening with “Shudder Before The Beautiful” and “Yours Is An Empty Hope” off their latest record “Endless Forms Most Beautiful”, the rockers immediately set the crowd on fire. It is filled with clapping, cheering, and thunder-like singalong regardless these are the band’s newer materials. The monologue of Shudder Before – “The deepest solace lies in understanding // This ancient unseen stream // A shudder before the beautiful” – makes a perfect introduction to Nightwish’s fantasy world.

A smooth transition to “Ever Dream” easily takes you on trip down memory lane. The band knows this classic still wins thousands of hearts in the venue. Jansen reinterprets the Tarja-era tune with her thicker, solid vocal style which sounds perfect in live. Her stage presence also makes her an impeccable candidate to fill in the spot. The inviting gesture to their fans, bright smile with a bit of hidden mystery, strong character, the move and the headbang – she is the kind of vocalist that will definitely leave an impression in your mind.

Band leader Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist / vocalist Marco Hietala and Emppu Vuorinen do have their solid fanbase in the crowd. The harsh, deep male vocal punctuates the high female clean vocal like an angel-devil dialogue. The seamless juxtaposition of instrumental melody forms an harmonic backbone to the complex vocal layers. The sleek linkage between songs with instrumental interlude or spoken words turns the concert into one metal opera, showcasing the finest work of Nightwish entirely. Without a doubt, the band is still at the top of their game.

The setlist mostly features their latter works with a few irreplaceable classics like “Nemo”, and one of Nightwish’s hidden gem, “While Your Lips Are Still Red”, which only diehards know and adore. No matter which era that turns you into a Nightwish fan, this enchanted night must have fulfilled your desire. Having said that, an encore session would have made this perfect!